Fabulous Five 011 - Hit and Run (2 page)

Even before Jana opened her eyes, she was aware of the pain
in her head. It was a fierce, stabbing pain that throbbed in time with her
heartbeat. She wished that she could pull the dark, warm blanket of sleep back
up over herself and return to the comfortable oblivion she had just come from,
but her head hurt too badly. And there were sounds. Voices.

Slowly she forced her eyelids open, but it didn't help.
Everything was fuzzy.

"Mrs. Pinkerton, come quickly," someone called. "She's
awake."

"Oh, Jana, honey. How do you feel?"

Jana looked toward the second voice, and her eyes gradually
focused on her mother's face. A woman in white stood just behind her.

Mom?
she tried to whisper. She felt her lips part,
but no sound came out.

"Don't try to talk, honey," her mother said. "Just
lie still. Everything is going to be all right."

Where am I? What's happening? Jana wondered. She tried to
turn her head and look around, but it hurt too much.

As if she had read her daughter's thoughts, Mrs. Pinkerton
stroked Jana's hair and said, "You're in the hospital, sweetie. There was
an accident. A car. But don't worry. The doctor says you're going to be fine.
You have a concussion from hitting your head on the pavement and some bumps and
bruises. That's all."

Jana could hear her mother crying softly. She wanted to ask
her to explain more. What accident? What car? And if she was going to be okay,
why was her mother crying? But her head was still pounding, and she was sleepy.
So
sleepy.

When she awoke again, the room was dark except for a sliver
of light coming in through the half-open door. "Mom!" she cried, and
tried to sit up in an instant of panic.

"Yes, Jana. I'm right here, and so is Pink."

Her mother's and stepfather's faces materialized out of the
shadows and seemed to float over the side of her bed like a pair of gently
bobbing balloons.

"Just lie back, honey," Pink said softly. "Everything's
okay."

Gratefully, Jana sank back onto her pillows. "Oh, wow.
I'm dizzy," she said, trying to smile.

"And you're probably hungry, too," said Pink. "I'll
ask the nurse to get you a tray."

He hurried out of the room as her mother switched on the
bedside lamp. The soft light illuminated the hospital room, and Jana got the
first glimpse of her surroundings. There were two beds, the one she was lying
in, which was by the window, and an empty one nearer the door. A sink and a
mirror were on the wall opposite the beds, and a door that she assumed led into
the bathroom was beside the sink. She wrinkled her nose. The whole place had a
strange smell. Maybe it was medicine. Or disinfectant. Or both. A shiver went
through her. This looked just like the hospital room her grandmother had been
in a couple of years ago, she thought, remembering how cold and unfriendly her
grandmother's room had seemed to her then.

Mrs. Pinkerton took Jana's hand. "Do you remember what
happened?" she asked gently.

Jana started to shake her head, but the pain rushed back
again. "No," she said instead. "At least I don't think so."

"You were crossing the street in front of Bumpers this
afternoon after school," her mother began. "You and Randy. And a car
came speeding around the corner and . . ." Sobs broke off the sentence.

Suddenly a picture flashed in Jana's mind, and she sat up
abruptly in spite of the pain. She and Randy had been in front of Bumpers. She
remembered now. They had been arguing. She frowned. About what? She and Randy
never argued. Well, almost never. Then more of the scene came back. They had
been arguing about Laura McCall, and Jana had run into the street in anger. But
she had been alone.

"Randy!" she cried, searching her mother's face. "Randy
wasn't . . . I mean, I don't think . . . I mean, I don't know.
What happened?
"

Mrs. Pinkerton wiped her eyes. "No one is sure. The
police think that Randy pushed you out of the way of the car, and that's why
you fell and struck your head on the pavement."

Jana frowned and touched her forehead only to find a huge
lump the size of an egg. It hurt to touch it, so she closed her eyes, trying to
see into her memory and remember the accident, but she couldn't. "What
about Randy? He's okay, isn't he?" she demanded.

Her mother looked away for an instant and then said gently, "Randy
is still unconscious. The car hit him, knocking him into the air, and then kept
on going. It was a hit-and-run. That's why we don't know exactly what happened."

"But he's going to be all right, isn't he?" Jana
insisted, nodding furiously in spite of the pain in her head. Her chest was
heaving, and her heart felt as if it were going to burst. "Well,
isn't
he?"

"Yes, dear. I'm sure he will be." Mrs. Pinkerton
turned away, and when she looked back, her eyes were bright, and there was a
spot of high color on each cheek. "That isn't exactly true," she
began slowly. "I have to tell you the truth. Sweetheart, Randy is in
critical condition. He has some broken ribs and some internal injuries, but
worst of all he hasn't regained consciousness since the accident. The doctors
hope he'll wake up, but they can't be certain he will."

Jana felt as if her whole body was caving inward as her
mother's words echoed in her mind.
Critical condition. Hope he'll wake up.
Can't be sure. Critical condition.
Jana heard a moan and knew it must be
her own voice. Closing her eyes, she let the tears flow.

Looking back on it later, she could only vaguely remember
what happened next. Her mother holding her in her arms and rocking her,
whispering that everything was going to be okay just as she had done so many
times when Jana was small. Pink wiping her hot, tear-streaked face and trying
to get her to "eat a little something so that at least your tummy will
feel better." The nurse coming in to check her and giving her a glass of
water. And finally, her mother brushing a lock of hair off her forehead and
saying, "The nurse says we have to go now, sweetheart, so that you can sleep.
But I'll see you in the morning. Oh, yes, I brought you something so that if
you wake up in the night, you won't feel alone."

Jana watched dreamily as her mother reached somewhere behind
herself and brought out Gorgeous, the white, cuddly bear Randy had given her
for Valentine's Day. He had a red, heart-shaped mouth and black, heart-shaped
eyes, and he held his arms out as if he were waiting for a hug. As badly as she
hated to be left alone, she smiled gratefully at her mother as Mrs. Pinkerton
tucked Gorgeous under the covers beside her.

Turning toward him, Jana hugged him tightly. "Oh,
Gorgeous. I'm so glad you're here," she whispered as she drifted off to
sleep. "Beautiful, beautiful Gorgeous . . ."

"Rise and shine." The cheerful words were
punctuated by the flashing on of the overhead light and the sight of a smiling
nurse looking down at her.

Jana squinted into the brightness. She had been in a deep
sleep, and when she tried to move, her body hurt all over. Then she remembered
where she was and why she was there. The argument with Randy. Running into the
street. The screech of tires followed by nothing but blackness until she woke
up in the hospital.

"Randy!" she cried. She tried to sit up but was
stopped by a new pain that ran from her left shoulder all the way down her body.
"Is he . . ." But before she could finish her sentence, the nurse was
advancing on her with a thermometer in her outstretched hand.

"That's a good girl. Open up so that I can get your
temperature," she said cheerfully, sliding the thermometer under Jana's
tongue. "There'll be plenty of time for conversation after that."

Jana clamped her lips around the thermometer and glared at
the nurse whose name tag said MRS. FOSS. How dare that woman refuse to let her
talk? She had to find out about Randy. She pushed the thermometer to one side
of her mouth. "I need to know about Randy Kirwan!" she insisted,
almost spitting the thermometer into her lap.

The nurse frowned at Jana, but then her expression softened.
"Oh, my," she said. "Is Randy the young man who was in the
accident with you?"

Jana pulled the thermometer out of her mouth and nodded in
spite of the pain in her head. "How is he? Did he wake up? Please. You've
got to tell me."

"I wish I could, dear, but he's not my patient. I
believe he's still in the intensive care unit on the second floor. You'll have
to speak to someone there. Sorry," she added, patting Jana's hand. "Now
let's try to get your temperature again."

Obediently, Jana opened her mouth and let Mrs. Foss slide the
thermometer under her tongue again as a million questions swirled in her mind.
Was Randy awake? Was he in pain? Was he going to be okay? And what about the
driver of the car? Had they found him yet? Was he in jail? How could he have
done a thing like that? It was all his fault that Randy was hurt so badly. He
must be some kind of maniac, she thought angrily.

Mrs. Foss busied herself plumping Jana's pillows and
straightening her covers. Suddenly she pulled Gorgeous out from somewhere near
the foot of the bed. Jana gasped around the thermometer. She had forgotten all
about him.

"I see you invited a friend to sleep over," the
nurse said with a smile, placing him in Jana's outstretched arms and then
removing the thermometer from her mouth.

Jana hugged the soft, white bear gratefully. "Thanks,"
she said. Then she added, "You said that Randy is on the second floor,
didn't you?"

"That's right, dear," said Mrs. Foss as she read
the thermometer. "In the intensive care unit."

Jana frowned as she watched the nurse enter Jana's
temperature on her chart. How was she going to talk to anyone in the intensive
care unit about Randy? She couldn't call and ask—she didn't have a phone in her
room.

"Someone will be in with your breakfast tray in just a
few minutes," said the nurse. "You stay right where you are for the
time being. The doctor will be in later this morning, and he will decide when
you can get out of bed."

Jana waited until the nurse left the room. Then, ignoring
the warning that she should stay in bed, she moved Gorgeous aside, and slowly
pulled herself into a sitting position. It took all her effort to swing her
legs over the side of the bed. Every inch of the left side of her body screamed
at her with pain. The palms of her hands were badly scraped, and her entire
elbow was terribly tender. At least the pain in her head was fainter this
morning, but even it was still there. She instinctively raised her hand to feel
the knot on her forehead, which was as large as before.

"I've got to find out about Randy," she said to
Gorgeous as she tucked him into her place in bed.

Gorgeous looked back at her with his bright black eyes and
smiled at her with his heart-shaped mouth, making her forget her pain for a
moment. It was the same smile that had won her heart the instant Randy had
handed him to her and whispered, "Happy Valentine's Day."

"He's
gorgeous
!
" she had cried as
she swept him into her arms.

"Really? That's a funny name for a bear," Randy
had teased, and they had both burst out laughing.

From that moment on, his name was Gorgeous, and he had
always been there whenever she needed him. She had cried into his soft, plush
fur at times when she was sad. She had danced around her bedroom with him in
her arms when she was happy. And she had even complained bitterly to him whenever
Laura McCall had made her life miserable. She could never ask for a better
friend. Now she swallowed hard and looked at him through brimming tears. "I'll
be back as soon as I can," she promised.

She hobbled to the metal closet and took out her bathrobe,
slipping it on. Then she paused just long enough to look at herself in the
mirror over the sink. A soft gasp left her lips as she saw her face for the
first time since the accident the day before. The knot on the left side of her
forehead stood out like a small antler ready to sprout, and the same side of
her face was scraped and bruised purple.

She had turned and was limping slowly toward the door when
the icy floor made her realize that her feet were bare. Her bedroom slippers
were in the closet, and she stepped into them and headed for the door again. A
wave of dizziness swept over her, and she caught the wall for support. "Wow,"
she whispered. "This is going to be tougher than I thought."

Jana looked back at Gorgeous. He was watching her with arms
outstretched and a smile of encouragement. "Okay, Gorgeous," she
called to him. "I'm going, and I'll be okay. I'll find out everything I
can about Randy and come right back. Don't worry." As she turned away, she
almost thought he waved.

Her optimism was short-lived. When she stepped into the
hallway, it was far from deserted with nurses bustling in and out of rooms and
the breakfast cart clanking slowly along. She pressed herself against the wall,
trying to become invisible. What if someone stops me and wants to know where I'm
going? she thought. It's a chance I'll just have to take. It's the only way I
can find out about Randy.

Her next problem was locating the elevators that would take
her to the second floor. She had been unconscious when they brought her in, so
she had no idea in which direction to look. To her right was the nurses'
station. Two nurses stood there with their backs to her, talking together.
There was no sign of any elevators in that direction. Jana looked to the left.
An exit sign, lit up in red, hung at the end of the hall. That must be where
the elevators are, she thought, and slowly inched her way toward them, wondering
if she should go up or down.

It hadn't occurred to her to ask which floor she was on or
even to look out her window to see how high up her room was. Fortunately, she
reached the elevators without a challenge from anyone and found the number four
painted on the wall beside them.

Jana punched the down button and glanced back over her
shoulder. Still, no one was paying any attention to her. So far, so good, she
thought, crossing her fingers behind her back for luck.

When the elevator doors opened and a white-coated doctor
stepped out, Jana panicked again. But he didn't seem to notice her, and she
ducked inside and rode down to the second floor alone.

The second-floor hallway was quieter than her own, but still
her heart was pounding when she followed the arrows and reached the intensive
care unit around the corner from the elevators. Jana paused, suddenly
light-headed, and leaned against the wall until the feeling passed. The
red-haired nurse sitting at the desk in the nurses' station was intent on her
paperwork and had not looked up.

Jana's heart was in her throat as she glanced toward the
glass-topped door beside the station. The words NO ADMITTANCE WITHOUT
AUTHORIZATION were painted on it, and through the dark glass she could faintly
see electronic monitors and screens, which she knew were there to keep track of
the patients' breathing, heart rate, and other vital signs. They looked like
the ones she had seen on television programs.

Randy's in there, she thought, as she tiptoed toward the
door. Her knees felt rubbery, and the door seemed as if it were getting farther
away instead of closer.

What's happening to me? she wondered. The dizzy feeling was
getting stronger. If I could see him, she thought. Just for a minute. Just long
enough to be sure he's okay.

"Young lady. Stop at once. You can't go in there."
The nurse's words slammed into Jana, stopping her cold.

"I . . ." she began. "I need to see Randy
Kirwan. I have to find out if he's okay."

"I'm sorry, but he is not allowed visitors," the
nurse said a little more gently.

"But did he wake up yet?" Jana insisted. "Is
he going to be all right?"

"I'm sorry," the nurse said firmly. "I'm not
allowed to give out any information at this time."

"But I have to know!" Jana cried as anger swelled
inside her. "Why won't anyone tell me what's going on?"

The red-haired nurse got slowly to her feet. Glaring at
Jana, she said, "Young lady, this is a restricted area. If you do not
leave at once, I will call security and have you . . ."

Jana stared at her for a moment, trying to understand the
words. But she couldn't. They were fading away and being replaced by a
crackling sound in her ears like static on a radio. At the same time, the
entire scene was swimming before her eyes. She reached out for something to
grab on to just as her knees buckled and she fainted dead away.